Newport Tower (Rhode Island) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newport Tower |
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The Newport Tower.
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| Origin | |
| Mill name | Newport Tower |
| Mill location | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Coordinates | 41°29′09″N 71°18′36″W / 41.4858°N 71.3099°W |
| Year built | Mid-17th century |
| Information | |
| Purpose | Corn mill |
| Type | Tower mill |
The Newport Tower is a cool, round stone tower in Newport, Rhode Island. It's also known by other names like the Round Tower or Old Stone Mill. Most people agree it was built in the mid-1600s as a windmill.
For a long time, some people thought the tower was much older. They believed it might have been built hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus arrived in America. This idea suggested that people from other parts of the world visited America long before Columbus. However, scientific tests like carbon dating have shown that the tower was indeed built in the 1600s.
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What the Tower Looks Like
The Newport Tower is located in Touro Park, high up on a hill. In the past, you could see the harbor and Narragansett Bay from here. Sailors passing by would have easily spotted it. Today, many trees block the view.
The tower isn't perfectly round. It's about 22 to 23 feet (6.7 to 7 meters) wide. It stands about 28 feet (8.5 meters) tall. The walls are thick, about 3 feet (1 meter) wide. Inside, the tower has eight stone arches that support it. Above these arches, there used to be a floor, creating an upper room.
The main floor of the tower has four windows. There are also three smaller windows higher up. On one side, there's a fireplace with stone around it. The tower was once covered with smooth white plaster inside.
The Newport Tower is so famous that it's even shown on the official seal of a former U.S. Navy ship, the USS Newport.
The Tower's History
People have known about the Newport Tower for a long time. In 1741, a document called it "the old stone mill." This shows it was used as a mill. Later, in 1760, it was used to store hay. In 1767, it became a place to keep gunpowder.
During the American Revolution, the tower was important. American soldiers used it as a lookout point. British soldiers also used it to store their supplies.
How the Tower Was Built
The tower is located on land that once belonged to Benedict Arnold. He was the first colonial governor of Rhode Island. Arnold moved to Newport in 1651. In his will from 1677, he mentioned "my stone built Wind Mill." Most people believe he was talking about the Newport Tower. This suggests he built it to be a windmill.
The Newport Tower looks a lot like another windmill in England called Chesterton Windmill. This English mill was built in the 1600s. It's possible that Benedict Arnold or someone who helped design his mill saw the Chesterton Windmill. This could have inspired the design of the Newport Tower.
Scientific Studies of the Tower
Early Mortar Tests
In 1848, a man named Rev. Dr. Jackson studied the mortar from the Newport Tower. Mortar is the material that holds stones together. He compared it to mortar from other old buildings in Newport. He found that all the mortar was very similar. It was made of shell lime, sand, and gravel. This suggested the tower was built around the same time as those other old buildings.
Digging for Clues in 1948
In 1948, scientists from Harvard University dug a trench around and inside the tower. They were looking for clues about its age. They found many items during their dig. All the artifacts they found were from the 1600s.
The leader of the dig, William S. Godfrey, concluded that Benedict Arnold built the tower. He found records suggesting Arnold bought the land for his house and the stone mill before he moved to Newport.
Carbon-14 Dating in 1993
In 1993, scientists did special tests called radiocarbon dating on the tower's mortar. They drilled deep into the mortar to get old samples. The results showed that the mortar was likely made between 1635 and 1698. This strongly supports the idea that the tower was built in the 17th century. A report in 2003 confirmed the mortar's date to be around 1680.
Other Ideas About the Tower
Over the years, many people have come up with different ideas about who built the Newport Tower and why.
The Norse Idea
In 1837, a Danish archaeologist suggested that Vikings built the tower. He thought it might be proof that Vikings explored North America far south of where they were known to be. This idea became very popular. Even a famous poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote a poem about it.
However, there's no real evidence that Vikings built the tower. The scientific tests show it's much newer than the Viking age.
The Observatory Idea
In the 1990s, a physics professor named William Penhallow studied the tower's windows. He thought they might line up with certain stars or the sun and moon. He suggested the tower could have been an observatory. An observatory is a place to watch the sky. For example, he noticed that on the summer solstice, the setting sun would shine through a window onto a special spot inside. These alignments could be a coincidence, but they made the window pattern seem "odd" to him.
The Chinese Idea
An author named Gavin Menzies suggested that Chinese sailors built the tower. He claimed it was built by people from Zheng He's famous voyages in the 1400s. He thought it was either a lighthouse or an observatory. However, these claims have been shown to be incorrect.
The Portuguese Idea
Some people believe that Portuguese explorers built the tower. They suggest that one of the Corte-Real brothers, who were early Portuguese navigators, built it as a watchtower. Others have said the tower looks like parts of old buildings in Portugal.
The Medieval Templars Idea
Another idea is that medieval Knights Templar built the tower. This theory suggests that Scottish Templars traveled to New England about a hundred years before Columbus. However, this voyage is not supported by historical evidence.
Images for kids
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The interior of the tower
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This 17th-century windmill in England, the Chesterton Windmill, looks similar to the Newport Tower.
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Østerlars Church on the Danish island of Bornholm.
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The Newport Tower around 1894.
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The Newport Tower in 2008.
